The Simonavy sisters live in a small village of Selets in the Chernobyl-impacted Brahin district. Tatiana and Elena are very passionate about developing their small milk farm on the edge of the Exclusion Zone.

In the beginning of the XXth Century, the Brahin district was famous for its delicious butter that was exported to the Russian Imperial capital - Saint Petersburg. The local milk and meat industry almost disappeared after local pastures were contaminated by the radiation fallout.

For almost three decades the affected districts were indelibly associated with nuclear contamination and the stigma that comes with it. The widespread public image of socially and economically depressed territories with the traumatized population often prevents economic activities from developing in affected communities.

More than 30 years later the sisters became a part of the communal efforts to eliminate stigma and to revive the local milk and dairy products farming. Having just two cows in a barn, the Simonavys joined a local initiative aimed to encourage farmers to take up diary business.

Since then, they successfully increased the number of cows and now are raising a total of ­­10 dairy cattle. The sisters regularly send milk from their cows to be tested for radiation. Every morning they collect fresh raw milk in plastic containers to hand them to a local dealer. The Simonavy’s future dream is to start a private dairy farm and to produce high quality cheese and curd.

Thirty-four years on, to counter the Chernobyl stigma, the communities and local administrations of the most affected districts in Belarus are looking to move beyond the tragedy of the Chernobyl tragedy narrative and turning to rich human capital and high-tech investments – as well as capitalizing on the region’s natural strengths: rich soil and dense forests.